Word started spreading a few days ago that Everton are interested in Youssef En-Nesyri, a striker currently playing with Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig.
The Moroccan has scored 10 times for club and country this season, and is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations with the host country, as they get ready to face off against Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gana Gueye, and the rest of the Senegal squad in the final this weekend.
Now, a report from Sean Lunt of Sport Witness suggests that Everton are putting their money where their mouth is. Lunt indicates that Everton have "offered €4.5m to loan En-Nesyri until the end of the season" and that the offer includes a "€20m option to buy" that "Fenerbahce have accepted."
So you'd think the job was done and dusted, just needs the paperwork drawn up and En-Nesyri will pack his bags for Merseyside when he's finished with AFCON.
But not so fast.
The player, it seems, isn't terribly interested in a move to England, with several reports indicating that the weather is the striker's biggest issue. Lunt cites a report by Fener Ajans where En-Nesyri is quoted as saying he wants to go "to a place where [he] can wear sandals."
That leaves things at quite an impasse.
Everton are willing to spend upwards of € 24.5 million to secure the player's move to the Premier League, and his current club are in agreement, but if the player refuses to allow the transfer to move forward, there may not be anything either side can do about it.
It's a strange position for the Blues to find themselves in, since there's nothing they can do about the weather, if that truly is a sticking point for the 28-year-old striker. Unfortunately, at the current moment they also can't use immediate playing time as an argument either.
En-Nesyri would join Thierno Barry and Beto on the Everton striking pecking order, barring the club opting to move on from one of the two, likely Beto, once the Moroccan's services are secured.
The pressure would then be on En-Nesyri to come in and be an immediate upgrade over the two current options. And while he's scored a decent number of goals in Turkey, the jump up from the Super Lig to England's top-flight is going to be a big one.
The transfer will be something to keep an eye on in the coming days, but it seems clear that Everton believe they need another option up top for David Moyes' side.